The present invention relates to a new citrus-fruit squeezing machine, in particular to a machine for squeezing oranges and the like that has a very simple structure and operation and, moreover, which squeezes the fruit after cutting the same into two parts.
Various kinds of machines for squeezing citrus-fruit are already known.
The machines are structurally complicated and possess some functional restrictions.
Some kinds of such known machines perform the cutting of the fruit before squeezing the same. This is carried out by devices for catching and conveying a single piece of fruit to the cutting and squeezing devices.
These devices are rather complicated and work only if fed fruit of adequate sizes or fruit having only very limited overall size differences.
Therefore, the user must previously gauge and select the fruit to be squeezed.
Also the cutting and squeezing devices are complicated and frequently do not effect an ideal squeezing operation.
There are other well known machines that are more simple with respect to both their structures and their operating modes such as those described in Italian Patent Application Nos. 45784 A/89 and 45769 A/90 respectively filed on Oct. 19, 1989 and Nov. 8, 1990 by the same inventor.
Such machines also possess some drawbacks as follows.
The squeezing operation is essentially carried out through the simple squashing of the fruit between two opposite plates without the previous cutting of the fruit.
It follows that the squashing causes both the squeezing of the citrus-fruit and the extraction from its peel of oils and other essential substances that mix with the fruit's juice and alter its taste.
This drawback is not sufficiently obviated even by providing a blade on a squeezing plate in such a way as to cut the citrus-fruit, as described, for example, in the above-mentioned Italian Application No. 45784 A/89, because the action of such blade is carried out during the squashing and its effectiveness is very limited.